°
I have met with the chief, the first talk in a very long time. He has approved my changes, and shared the recent news. It seems that the things go very well at the surface, more and more recruits are joining. Baron, the boss of the Ebon Blades, has finally decided to step out of his reinforced castle, and the result was expected. He is no more, and this is how the Ebon Blades perish.

°°
New from my side though were not as pleasing. After listening to me, the chief was concerned about the authority switch at the Spider Militant. I assured him that this is a temporary inconvenience, and soon the usual routine shall be restored. I am always preparing for the worst scenario, and this is why I have requested a permission to [Missing text], and the chief has given it. Excellent.

°
A shadow rift was opened at Lyth'raina's house, and I have returned, answering their call. She stepped forth and apologized for her disgusting behaviour. It could be "better later than never case", but this doesn't matter any longer. I have changed, and so did my priorities. Aunrae was here as well, they both were glad to see me at first, but my further words made them worried.

°°
I was thinking much about the situation, and the next day I have come up with a new plan. A more subtle approach would be required. I have caught Chalindra, a new Spider Militant recruit, in the dark tunnels near the Mist Lake. She had no idea who I am, and this is even better for the business. I have given her a task to deliever a message to their new leader, Dugoloth, and much would depend upon that meeting.

°
Aunrae has got herself into a very tricky situation. She was expelled from l'Orb Glennen, she attends Schezalle's so-called "lessons", yet she takes part in the organisation activity, and their new mistress gives her much promise in the future. She is lost, disfigured, and it is about time to reveal to her the true path. I am a voice in her head, the shadow behind her back. She absorbs my wisdom, step by little step she moves into the right direction. She would become powerful and ruthless, a mistress this city deserves. She has very much to learn, yes, but we have plenty of time. The patient is always one step ahead.

°
This cycle Gloura's was crowded. Schezalle and Aunrae had a very tense discussion when they arrived from their "lessons", and in the end Schezalle agreed to accept the teaching from Aunrae, to torture her. Despite the religious meaning, something tells me that Aunrae doesn't see here anything but satisfaction of her weird desires.

°°
After Schezalle left, a huge group of duergars has broken in. They were talking loud and with little sense, but suddenly it turned out that Lyth'raina is able to understand their rubbish and even speak it. They talked some nonsense about the lost treasure and other trivial noise, and obviously a group of greedy adventurers was quickly formed, including Lyth'raina and Aunrae. I obviously had to follow to make sure they won't get themselves into trouble.

°°°
I expected to see another boring treasure raid, not a motionless undead army occupying the caves to the west of Varalla's. The undead had a leader, a death knight who was able to speak. I have raised my shield, preparing to fight at any moment, but it seems that the undead wanted to talk. They were looking for some strange wares for their master, as if they are ruled by a spoiled child or really bored faern. In exchange for grapes and other meaningless things, they have given Aunrae a bag of gold and departed. More questions than answers here.

°°°°
The next cycle, we have spotted that death knight again, this time openly walking through Sshamath's bazaar in a company of breasted undead. It was getting more and more weird, and this time Aunrae was given list with the details for crafting a specific doll. The death knight though promissed to reveal his master once this would be accomplished, and so we have given it a chance.

°°°°°
During the conversation, we have heard an explosion and a loud cursing following it. A goat-girl was trying to recharge a wand, but something has gone wrong. She was looking unusual. Unlike other of her demonic kin, she didn't have most of her body exposed and was dressed properly, which was surprising to see here. Perhaps she can prove herself useful in the future. I have given her the list of wares and told to acquire them for us. She might have a good future in this city if she succeeds.

°
This moment has come. At last, that very conversation very much depends on. Dugoloth herself wished to see me, and I have arrived. She sits in her spider lair, surrounded by eight pairs of vigilant eyes, it is a very unhealthy ground for negotiations, but I had no choice and had to resolve it as quick as I could as it was chief's command.

°°
This was the second time we have met. Boiling in a pot of neverending sycophancy, she has become even more arrogant than before. This situation felt disgusting to me, Schezalle and Baless gaze at me standing near Lolth's altar expecting to kneel before their new mistress, a puppet yathrin Nargazul has created, but refuses to control. No wonder that certain someone else has taken the puppeteer's role.

°°°
I have brought chief's words to Dugoloth, his meeting request. She declared that she would speak only here, at the Spider Lair, and won't move an inch away from Lolth's altar. I have offered her couple of neutral grounds, but she didn't want to listen. Schezalle's whisper, Ilharess' pompous empty speech, and she waves me with dismissal, recieveing Schezalle's satisfied grin as an approvement. It all went as I expected, but a bit worse. Lyth'raina was looking at me with rebuke, and I admit that my words weren't as subtle as they should be, but it is hard to show respect to someone who did nothing to earn it.

°°°°
"Think again and think wise..." - was my final reply, and nothing has changed. Dugoloth was enjoying this denial of chief's generous offer, while Schezalle was sincerely satisfied with yet another damage dealt to l'Orb Glennen prosperity by her nasty claws, that vermin was hungry for an opportunity to attack me on Dugoloth's command. Shaking my head, I have left. It seems this cycle I am that messenger who brings bad news.

°
The chief has expected an audience with Dugoloth this cycle. Instead, I have brought him nothing but disappointment. The chief was displeased, and I had to answer for this failiure, for Ilharess' incompetence and my own lack of patience and lack of subtleness. The chief is the wisest of us all, and so far he has never made me doubt his sacred vision. Instead of punishing me this time, he was eager to teach, and I was listening to his words of enlightment, humbly lowering my head.

°°
The weight of guilt was pushing me to the ground. I never mistake, and if there is to be an exception, let it be something less crucial, less devastating for me. Yet the chief didn't want me to be crushed by the weight of despair, he ordered me to stand straight, to listen to his teachings. My mistake shows that there is much to learn for me, and the chief was giving a lesson. We are the orks. We are the chosen. We do not restore the broken, we build something new from the ashes...

°°°
The guest has arrived. It was her own will, and I accepted her offer. She wasn't the only smokeskin realising Dugoloth's mistake, but the only one actually attempting to prevent the further destruction. She still has my favor, and the chief has agreed to listen to her words. After hearing her offer, the chief has blessed her with a share of his wisdom, and she was listening to his guidance with passion. In the end, I have recieved chief's new orders, including [Missing text]

°°°°
Under the moon, many orks, fresh warriors and old veterans, have gathered arround to listen to chief's words. New recruits have arrived as usual, this time we have accepted a powerful demon summoner into our ranks, a brazen recruit, but with burning eyes. Zar Ut Khan prospers under Khar's command, and so far I see nothing able to bother our inevitable triumph.

°
Lyth'raina was going to meet with Nargazul this cycle. The place they have chosen was a deadly rumor trap. They have heard about the accoustic properties of the Necromancy School, they are so afraid of occasional eavesdroppers, but not of hundreds of ears loyal to faerns. In the current situation, the necromancy school is a foe for them, not a friend, and feeding the information to your foe is not the least of these two evils. Yet my words weren't heard. Nargazul's has denied my guidance, he wasn't there when the conversation near altar occured and doesn't see the clear picture, thus he makes silly mistakes, only intensifiying the decay started by Schezalle. We shall speak later, in time.

°
Aunrae trains very hard in last days. She is underestimated by many, and right now she is not the strongest of jalien, but I don't see a limit to her potential yet. She learns very quick, and under the right guidance she will become the power to be reconed with, the power of change.

°
Aunrae was going to attend another lesson with Schezalle, and I was prepared for this. My agents were already roaming around, waiting for their next moves. The first report I recieved was indicating that things are about to get out of hand. Schezalle and Aunrae went to Varalla's passage, after that Schezalle has teleported them both away. I was able to trace the teleport and follow.

°°
They were too far away from mythal range, at the Wilds Decent, the place where Schezalle could give freedom to any ill intents of hers. I using contact medalion to keep myself informed about Aunrae's well being, one sign and I would interfere, but according to her responses, everything was kept at the razor edge — dangerous, but not dangerous enough to go all-in. While me and Lyth'raina were arguing over it near the Wilds Decent, Aunrae has managed to return safely to the civilization. It's always better to follow a false alarm than to miss the real.

°
I haven't been to my lair for a very long time. The bedroll is all covered in dust and moss, the few furniture I had is locked with fresh web, but it is still that old good hideout I was using for sleep and other activities. I have collected the mushrooms from the nearest grove, scooped the water from the lake nearby, and in a short time I have presented my famous beggar stew to Aunrae and Lyth'raina. It was a long nostalgic night full of talks. Except Lyth'raina's threat to kill Aunrae, everything went smooth.

°°
Suddenly, I have heard weird noises from my old chest. The girls thought I was mad, but I knew that something is very wrong here. Making sure it is not trapped, I have opened it, and the voices filled the room. Lyth and Aunrae were confused, but I knew what is going on. This was the mindwash peformed by ilithids, the same we had long time ago, so long that I didn't even knew Lyth. My head was about to crack, and it was getting more and more dangerous in the room. Aunrae foolishly wanted to stay, but I shouted at her and we ran away as fast as we could, desperately attempting to escape from the merciless whisper in our heads. I want my answers, and I know who exactly can provide them.

°°°
Ithic, that fingerface scum. He is still there, trading at the bazaar after that betrayal of his, when he warned a group of ilithids of our presence at their mines, which nearly costed us lives when we were trapped in a deadly maze of darkest thoughts. Trying to hold my anger, I demanded the answers he owes me, but the bastard was trying to deny it, pretending he doesn't know a thing. He agreed to give clues for the price though, and we had nothing to do but to pay. He told us that the only way to get rid of the voices it to either accept them or fight them when they appear again, and it was certainly a waste of my gold. It became clear that Ithic is not involved though, who else then?

°°°°
Having no clues how to investigate it further, we were trying to catch every straw we could. Lyth'raina told us she killed some ilithid spawn at Har'ols Den, and so we paid those thugs a visit. Brigands were acting weird. We hid ourselves and finally managed to catch one of them. He was saying about the masters, he was all strained and nervous. I wanted him to lead me to the boss, but suddenly he stepped back and used a weird amulet he was wearing. A shadow rift was opened, and dark spawns stepped through it. We were unprepared to fight them, but Lyth'raina has used her ultimate power I've never seen before, turning the beasts into dust. We tried to examine the amulet, but it turned into ashes as we touched it. Something is very unclear here, and I think that is related to the voices we had in our heads.

°°°°°
Lyth'raina became very nervous and frustrated, the voices combined with her horrible temper has costed lives to many potential information sources, making her only angrier. Our presence didn't go unnoticed though, and soon we were ambushed. We had no time to consider what is elite duergar squad doing here, but they came for us and we fought them back. Those were clearly ilithid thralls, and it means we are close to the answers.

°°°°°°
We have heard heavy steps in the distance. It seems like this is the boss the thugs were talking about so much. What I have seen surprised me. It was an ork matron, and she was at least three times bigger than me. She was enraged and demanded us to reveal ourselves. Failing to hold her temper, she murdered all the bandits she found nearby. Despite Lyth'raina's hesitation, I've revealed myself and tried to talk to the warrior. She was frenzied and was constantly trying to provoke us, but it seems she is not the boss of this place, but a "treasure hunter" who came here to rob the bandits. I still could use her enormous strength though. We've told her that the treasures are hidden behind the braced iron door, that very door with an incredibly good lock I'm unable to get through. She was trying to destroy it with insane effort, and after realising she was fooled around she attempted to strike us down. It was a mistake of hers. No matter how big she is when the size doesn't matter, and soon that colossus was lying lifeless at the ground.

°°°°°°°
We have shamelessly claimed all her belongings, and it was the moment I've seen a mind pod crawling away out of her ear. With my swift reflexes, I was able to catch this nasty being and even hold it enough time before Lyth'raina took out a vial. We have tried to put this worm into the vial, but the creature exploded instead, covering us in a spray of revolting liquid. I have collected all that remained into the vial, and we made it out. All those events give more questions than answers, and we still don't have much clues of what happened. Lyth'raina suggested us to talk to the ilithid from Bregan D'aerthe guildhall, their new agent, and I think we hardly have other choice. I was concerned about Lyth'raina's well being, but she seems alright now. Her behaviour has changed though since that brainwash, and I doubt this is a simple coincidence.

°
So many new faces I have seen at the hidden village this cycle. Not all of them were fresh recruits, it is true that I am spending too much time outside Uruk Lurra. The most notable of them was Grishka, a servant of Luthic the clan was lacking for such a long time. She respects the traditions and acts with obedience in male presence, but her eyes burn too bright to remain unnoticed behind the humble mask. She has a spirit of drow Ilharess, and I have quite an experience of working with the smokeskins. She has a potential, I'll make sure it would be directed the right way.

°°
Another recruit's worth mentioning name is Zu'uric, but he's called Berry most of the time, at least by Grishka. A young boy with strong ambitions and hot temper, but no wisdom behind them, he reminds me of younger Lyth'raina at some point. The reason I am making notes of him is a spectacle he has performed. He has challenged the chief for his leadership role, and it was the first time I have seen a fool capable of such futile move. Khar has accepted it, and the result was way to predictable. In a few seconds, Berry was lying at the ground in a puddle of his blood. Khar is a wise chief, and instead of decapitating the defeated opponent, he has given Berry a chance to serve the clan, and the boy has accepted this honor.

°
The time has come to test the new recruits in action. Gathered under chief's banner and accompanied by me and Tor'rak the haruspex, they have followed Khar to the trials he has prepared for them.

°°
The blood spilled was measured in rivers this cycle at the Troll Claws. Trolls, Ogres, Stone Giants — nothing could stand before the wrath of the clan. The new recruits were holding good, nobody was wounded nor lost, and that looks very promising. We have encountered no humans or dwarves on our path, and this was smart of them. They understand that they stand no chances before us.

°°°
Upon returning from this raid, we have encountered the first human this cycle. A bald traveler tried slip away, but he was quickly surrounded and was ordered to speak. Surprisingly, that human has recognized one of us, a new warrior called Greshalk. It turned out that the human and Greshalk were hunting and training together, and the human even declared that they are learning eachother's ways! What such a pathetic creature as human can possibly teach a proud ork? The chief was displeased by this blasphemy, and he has binded Greshalk and the human with a debt bonds. They must spill the blood of the foes together and bring the heads as an evidence, this is Greshalk's only way to restore the favor. They both have departed, while we have stopped at Soubar.

°°°°
Standing under a heavy rain, I was gazing at the grim citadel of the Ebon Blades, the last stand of theirs. I asked the chieftain what is he going to do with that building once we claim it. "Cover the walls in the skins of those who tried to hold it from us." — was his first response, but later he confessed that he is thinking of appointing Grishnak as Soubar viceroy ruling from that keep. I could take that role too of course, but my grasp extends to the world below, not above, and I think Grishnak would perform that role better. Under Zar Ut Khan rule, those pathetic ebon dogs would turn into the efficient servants, and this transformation is but a matter of time.

°
A cycle later, I have met Grishka again. I was able to know her better, and soon enough she wasn't even hiding her temper, which is good for me. She seems to have truly far going ambitions, and I have hinted her that my vigilant eyes see everything, to which she responded that she could bite my nose in case I'll poke it where I shouldn't. I certainly starting like this woman, word for word, and I have invited her to visit the Underdark for the educational purposes.

°°
She has never descended farther than Ogre Caves, and the whole world above was a discovery for her. On our way, I was instructing her on how to behave at the drow society, and she listened without hesitation. The city of Dark Weavings has truly impressed her, she was following me like a shadow, absorbing all the new knowledge she was acquiring. Occasionally, we met Nawen who was gathering a raid group to the Underdark Wilds, and that group included Lyth'raina and even Lomith, the Zau'afin Ilharess. Although not interested in such activities, I have joined it with Grishka to show her more variety of the Underworld. The hunt went successful, she understood everything and has caused no questions during it, nor did she attract any unnecessary attention.

°°°
Upon coming back to the city, I have invited Lyth'raina to join the excursion I was leading, and she has agreed. It reminded me of that time when we were doing absolutely the same, but with Aunrae instead of Grishka. In this case though, we paid less attention to the Southern district rich buildings and more to the less common sights, such as underground web of tunnels under the city or Darkwoods grim beach. While walking though Nau'klar arena, we started talking about the fights. Lyth'raina declared that she can defeat me now, and I invited her to try it. Grishka claimed that it would be amusing to see me losing to a woman, and by it she meant herself. They both denied my offer though when I have invited them to try it. It was smart, since their prides remained unhurt this cycle, but I must admit that even though Lyth'raina would likely be defeated by me once again, she has grown enough to have ghostly chances to win, and if those chances shoot she won't be merciful to me.

°°°°
We have stopped at the Spider Kiss. Since Lyth'raina was there, it inevitable ended up in a quarrel and blaming eachother. We were arguing a lot about l'Orb Glennen fate and who is responsible for it, all the opinions we sounded weren't knew for us both, but yet we keep repeating them again and again, as if it could change anything. Grishka wasn't aware of the situation though, and I didn't mind enlightening her on that matter. Lyth'raina wanted to tell her own version, and I allowed her, remaining silent during her story even at the most ridicolous moments. I was letting Grishka learn the opinions from the both sides of a conflict, it would be very helpful for her education. In the end, Lyth'raina left us alone after yet another meaningless quarrel between us.

°°°°°
Grishka remained there for some time longer, although she confessed she doesn't like the drow culture and the smokeskins themselves. She told me how Berry chases her, trying to please and constantly bringing her gifts, and how it amuses her. Berry is a hothead, and I told Grishka to stop torturing that young fool this way. She has certainly more drow spirit in her than in some Spider Militant members. She has revealed even more ambitions of hers, including mating Grimnail himself, and I have approved it. Perhaps Grishka would be that very lever that would give Grimnail a little push he lacks to finally start a war.

°
This cycle has started with expected, but still very pleasing news. Schezalle was struck down by an unknown assasin and her survival was a marvel. She lies unconcious at the Spider Kiss room now and is guarded by Blackblade who tries to keep her alive for some reason I understand. She would certainly become more paranoid if she survives, and so we must now waste a chance to get rid of that snake for good. Lyth'raina surprised me though. She was looking after Schezalle, sincerely concerned about her well being. She treated me harshly when I came, and after it we had yet another hostile conversation for the sake of blame.

°°
What I have seen later this cycle has surprised me even more. I have found Aunrae and Lyth'raina at my old lair, and Lyth'raina has coldly told me to leave. Pretending that I did so, I have witnessed a scene that made everything clear. An arrogant cruel jabbress is going to "give a lesson" to Aunrae for the sake of satisfying her own sadistic whims, for the sake of humiliation. She summons a giant spider and makes it chase Aunrae, enjoying herself. This wasn't Schezalle, this was Lyth, although there was no difference between them both at that moment. I have told Lyth'raina everything I think about her move, and she shouted at me. Later this cycle, she said she's losing her patience. I know what it means and I am prepared. This was the moment she lost my favor.

°°°
We were discussing many things at the Spider Kiss bathes with Aunrae. She asked me what would I do if Lyth'raina attacks me. My response was [Missing text]. Our conversation was interrupted by the sudden guests though. I knew that Nargazul, Galawyn and Lyth'raina are at the building visiting Schezalle, but I didn't expect them all three to break into the bathes fully armored. Using this moment, Aunrae insisted on her private talk with Nargazul, and he agreed after I supported Aunrae's demand.

°°°°
She wasn't pleased when she returned, and that is softly speaking. She shouted at Nargazul to stay, and his response was slamming the door before leaving the establishment. Galawyn was sleeping at the pillows already by this moment, and we had our talk with Lyth'raina and Aunrae alltogether. We were discussing [Missing text]

°
That pair was sitting there again, by the table at Gloura's. A tiefling named Val and her human companion Gray who waits for the meeting with conjurer Vesche several days in a row now. I've seen Aunrae talking to them and approached as well. It was amusing to trade mocks with that demon girl, and at some point she lost her patience and invited me to test the skills. A challenge, in other words. She wasn't new to the city, and I told her about the place she can satisfy her curiocity at. She didn't hesitate to follow.

°°
We have arrived to the Nau'klar arena and entered the fighting pit. I have dropped down the cloak, warming my wrists up. Fight until the submission or knockdown, everything is allowed except potions and wands. She has gripped her little knives and nodded, and a moment after she had three posioned needles pinned right to her chest. She was caught flat-footed by this sudden attack and attempted to strike back. Like myself, she uses shadowblending, and she was nearly able to hit me once with one of those hidden attacks, but this was still futile. She was catching more and more tiny needles with her torso, and the poison has taken enough room in her veins. She still tries to snarl, tries not to fall on her shaking knees, but one more needle hit landed, and she crumbles to the ground, exhausted and unable to move a limb.

°°°
I was always dreaming of my own breasted demon chained to the pillar, and this cycle the dreams come true when you expect it least. She didn't try to escape nor was she able to, but seing a chained goat-girl is always a pleasure for my eyes. She tried to pretend as if it was all part of her plan, of course, and I don't mind letting her. Our exchange was interrupted by sudden guests though. Lyth'raina, Jak, Aunrae, Nym and Zyn — what are they doing at Nau'klar? Lyth's face was priceless when she saw mine and Val's interraction, she was irritated, declaring that she will leave us right now to whatever we are doing, but still remaining there to get even more frustrated. Val was playing along quite well, and in the end all the guests descended even deeper, and soon I've heard the sounds of battle from the prison block. I had to unchain Val and descend there with her.

°
Just as a I crossed the doorway, I have spotted an interesting picture. Jak, a new Aunrae's lover, was lying at the ground, all beaten up and burnt, while Aunrae was standing over him victorious. I had no idea what was going on there, but decided to watch those battles. This all seemed like an intense training for Aunrae, but then Lyth'raina stepped into this game. She was challenging Aunrae over and over, smashing her to the ground again and again. Aunrae stood no chances here and was gaining nothing from this so-called practice but new bruises and maims. I've told Lyth that in case she wants to feel herself at Aunrae's place, I'm still open for challenge. She suddenly agreed.

°°
Much days have passed since the last time we fought, and she has significantly grown during those weeks. Everyone was watching this fight with greed, expecting an equal tense combat, and their expectantions were satisfied to some extent. Her arsenal of tricks has become broader, and she didn't give me no time to catch a breath. This battle lasted for a very long time, I was able to bring her close to submission couple of times, but she was escaping into ethereal plane, returning from there fully recovered and with no single scratch. She tried to strike me about hundred times, and she was even able to land about three hits which was quite painful, but not critical.

°°°
After half an hour of this duel, she stopped and declared that I bore her and this can last for eternity. She was bluffing, of course. I knew quite well that she slowly runs out of her magic, and without it she would stand no chance. I have also wasted much of my own divine powers, but didn't admit it. Here we stand again, trading mocks and pretending we are not even tired after that fierce battle. I was right. Lyth'raina is indeed the most powerful l'Orb Glennen member at the moment, and it is painful to see her taking the lowest position there due to her mixed blood. She will come to the right conclusions in time.

°
The entrance to Uruk Lurra was all covered in wooden planks and barrels with grain. Who has brought this provision here? Was it result of caravan robbery or a tribute from our foes? I want my answers, and it seems I have spotted someone able to provide them. A lonely ork was standing at the cliff, an newcomer I've never seen here. I have commanded him to follow me and he obeyed.

°°
This boy is called Tuskurg, and he has told me about a caravan robbery they have performed. A warband consisted of him, another newcomer, Greshalk and Grishka who was leading them all. It seems she enjoys her influence and gives the freshmen false expectations. I failed to hold my laughter when Tuskurg declared that he is a part of Zar Ut Khan now since Grishka has accepted him. I am not sure if it is Grishka who needs to be reminded of her place or the boy needs to be educated, probably both. Only the chief posseses the right to accept new recruits, and I have invited Tuskurg to meet him next cycle. We shall see what lies behind that shallow overconfidence if there is indeed anything.

°
I have met Val again, at the surface this time. She has succesfully delievered my letter to the Ebon Blades and now we started this "who needs who" game. Getting tired of that worthless word exchange, I invited her to breath some fresh air in the woods. This simple walk makes surprising sense when you spend most of your time underground.

°°
We were walking across the Woods of Sharp Teeth to the Friendly Arm castle. I had many questions for her, but suddenly we heard sounds of battle near the orkish caves. All we have seen though was a human wench in red robes lying at the ground and hardly breathing. I have brought her back to life just to get the answers, but she started thanking me and trying to hand me gold for helping her. The girl certainly didn't understand who is she dealing with. I asked her why shouldn't I claim her as my trophy right now, her response was that it would attract a wrath of Doron Amar and Candlekeep, and it was the moment I knew she is certainly worth capturing.

°°°
Our conversation was interrupted by a human fighter who occasionally stumbled upon us. He was lost by the scene he has seen, he tried to turn back, but Val was already standing right behind his back. Using the little commotion, the human wench used invisibility spell and tried to run away. Her naive attempt ended up with her being pinned to the ground by two precise needle throws. Meanwhile, a fight started between the man and Val. Seein' mine approach, the man fled in awe, and I didn't have no time to chase that fool. We have grappled the girl in red and carried with us through the forest.

°°°°
Upon arriving to the hidden village, we have chained my claim and threw her into the cage. All the guards were informed about whom that trophy does belong. If there is at least small grain of truth behind her words, we won't have troubles finding customers, and I have given this task to Val. She looks capable and so far cooperating with her looks promising. She thinks she manipulates me, and that is the best scenario for me. As for my captive, I shall speak to her again once she recovers.

°
We didn't finish our talk with Val the last time. By the morning, we managed to get to the Friendly Arm castle walls. Val told me it wasn't ruled by no chieftain, king, or noble, it was simply an Inn the size of a stronghold. This sounded like a complete nonsene, but I had no reasons to doubt her words. I was trying to find the holes or backdoors, but the castle was build very good. I shall return here later. Remaning unnoticed, we faded into the shadows and marched to the north away from the civilization.

°°
The road was clear, until we met a company. A knighty looking human was accompanying a kid. Val told me that it was not a kid but a hin, a midget race living at the surface. William and Pokey were their names, as it turned out later. Pokey has threatened to deal with me if I rob him and ran away, but soon we had another guest instead. A filthy half-breed abomination approached, a muscular grunt holding a spear. William turned out to be familiar with that bastard and treated him like an old pal. That filth was accepted among humans, they treated him like a toy, like a funny witless pet, and he didn't mind, all he was interested in was a good challenge, and I agreed to provide him such.

°°°
Couple of mocks, and that grunt accepts my challenge. He swings his spear and runs towards me, but I give him no chance to strike. Several precise needle tosses, and the bastard crumbles to the ground, unable to move a limb. He has lost this fight, and now he owes a blood debt to me. He was ordered to follow me, he tried to refuse, and I promised to cut his throat in case he continues this futile resistance. One half-breed scum more, one less, who cares? In the end, he told me he shall follow if I'll give him a chance to fight again, and this was a painless compromise I agreed for. The human was concerned, he asked us to leave his friend be, but he had to back up when he spotted a shimmer of my deadly little weapon in the distance.

°
Val followed us to the hidden village, she visits it way too often lately to my surprise. Grishka greeted us, she bowed with respect and told me that the chief is about to come. And indeed, Khar was soon on the scene, he commanded the half-breed scum to approach, and the newcomer obeyed. The lesson has started. Sometimes I think that if drow society was like ours, Lyth'raina would've been l'Orb Glennen head long time ago already. Even the half-breeds can take a decent place here if they are powerful enough to claim it.

°°
I have heard some commotion outside the village, as if some fool was trying to attract our attention. I sent Val to scout it out, and she returned shortly, bringing a report. I asked the chief a permission to take a look, and he has given it. And indeed, everything was just like Val portrayed. William, that human boy. He looked exhausted, but his eyes still burn. He crossed dozens of miles following us, and the only purpose he had was saving that semi-human bastard he called a friend. It was getting more and more interesting, and I have given William two choices. The first, he turns back and never returns. The second, he follows me to the village and faces his fate. He has chosen the later.

°°°
As the boy entered the village, the guards have closed the gates behind him, leaving him no way out. The half-breed, whose name was Kor'Thok, has accepted chief's wisdom, he has accepted his orkish heritage, his true path. There was only one thing remaning to finish this transition, and this shall be performed under this moon. The ties with the past shall be broken. The chief has commanded William to approach, and it has begun.

°°°°
Kor'Thok and William, two men who used to be friends just a cycle ago, are now fighting to the death under the merciless gaze of the gods. William agreed for it willingly, he still has an idiotic hope in his heart, a hope to bring his friend back, but Thok has made his choice. One fatal swing, and William falls to the ground, he bleeds and can not move a limb. "This hummie lies at your feet defeated... What fate shall you gift him, Thok?" — I asked him, and he has given a confident swing of his spear in response. William is no more, his warm blood has soaked the soil, pleasing the gods. Thok has broken the chains and accepted his fate. Welcome to the clan, grunt.

°
Lyth'raina has insisted on a meeting again, and she was invited by the chief to the Upperdark camp. Zar and Aunrae were accompanying her. The chief has commanded Grishka and Tor'rak to leave us, and they obeyed. As it always happens between me and Lyth in such cases, this negotiation process has quickly turned into another squabble between us, another futile stream of mutual accusations and mocks. It soon became very tense when Aunrae told us that someone reports about the orkish meetings to Dugoloth, and there was only one possible suspect. The chief has commanded us to stop in the end, and everyone went quiet. He then judged us with his wise words, and we both agreed to stop our rant. Lyth'raina left soon, we shall speak later with her.

°°
Just as Lyth'raina left, hordes of undead giant rats have filled the space, they came out of nowhere, and we had nothing to do but to give them a fight. After destroying them all, we have encountered even more abominations. The chief has commanded us to get back and take cover behind the gates. Who was behind that attack? I could suspect Lyth, but I know her powers well, and she is simply incapable of creating such enormous mobs of the dead. Was it related to the death knights searching for strange items? Too many questions and too little answers. The chief has left, and I remained to deal with that problem. Once me and Zar have left the camp, we have encountered a huge mob of undead orks. We were able to defeat them at last, and Zar has departed to Sshamath, while me and Aunrae remained here. It seems I know who might help us here, and soon we have taken a coach to Uruk Lurra.

°
I have knocked on the cage door, and soon my claim has responded. She wasn't looking as good as the last cycle. Exhausted, suppressed and hungry, the wench in red has started losing her mind. She was yelling and cursing, she was trying to smash her own face using the cage wall, she was laughing hysterically and promised to burn us all. Aunrae offered her food, and the human just laughed at her face, refusing to eat. I wasn't convinced in her madness though. Before capturing the girl, I have seen her raising a whole squad of undead in but a second. She is a necromancer, and I need her power this cycle. Convincing her wasn't that easy though. She was acting like a madwoman, and Aunrae threatening to burn her alive over and over didn't help either. Meanwhile, we were joined by Val and Mungoll the bloodmage, and after getting tired of the squabble between the women, I simply opened the cage and dragged the human to the caravan.

°°
We have arrived soon enough to the Upperdark warcamp. The time has come to investigate what actually happened here. The human asked to untie her hands, and I had to do it. She knew that I won't hesitate to kill her if she tries something silly, so she behaved quite well. Suddenly, I have heard disgusting sounds from her direction. She was eating the corpses, and we recieved nothing but maniacal smile as a response to our confused gazes. Aunrae was about to actually scorch my captive with hellfire, but I commanded them all to stop and led the crew further into the tunnels, to the exact place where the fight with undead orcs has occured.

°°°
Mungoll turned out to be an experienced necromancer himself, and the gurl has become much more obedient after satiating her hunger. They combined their efforts together, but unfortunately it still didn't give us much. It has become clear that the corpses were raised from the old orkish burial grounds we were standing on, but that still remains a mystery who was a puppeteer behind this zombie attack.

°°°°
Aunrae traveled back to Sshamath, and the girl back to her cage. She has finally revealed her name, Celeste Milton. With that information in our possession, it would be easier for Val to find a customer. Mungoll was impressed by human's skills and enjoyed working with her. I allowed him to interract with her whenever he likes, but the rules are still the same for him as for everyone else: No killing, no mating, no setting free.

°
The moment of truth has come. I have informed the chief that my claim is not very usual human, and she can be enlightened. He has arrived to the cage soon in a company of the haruspex. The chief has shared his wisdom with Celeste, she was pretending ill in her head at first, she yelled, laughed and promised to burn the world, but Khar's insightful words strike deep, reaching the soul itself, and soon enough Celeste went quiet, absorbing the pieces of wisdom the chief was sharing with her. Khar was telling the truth. The humans despice her for her power, but the problem is not in her, the problem is in them. They are unenlightened, they are trying to destroy everything they can not understand. Celeste walks the path favored by the gods, and she starts understanding it.

°°
Meanwhile, we were informed about a guest requesting an audience regarding my captive, and Tor'rak the haruspex was ordered to watch over Celeste in our absense. I told him not to harm her, at least not too much, and I have seen him licking his bloody lips at those words. Something tells me that I shall be surprised when I return, and that surprise won't be the most pleasant.

°°°
I recognized his voice. An old acquaintance of ours, the mysterious man who calls himself Spectre, he was standing infront of us at the endless field outside the hidden village. He has proved himself useful before for us and so far he was loyal, so the chief has allowed him to speak. Spectre told us that Celeste is a relative of one of his agents, and he wants us to release her. I bluffed telling him that Doron Amar elves have agreed to pay a ransom, but instead of paying more than them he said that it's even better for him, since all he needs is her freedom. I added that the elves didn't specify the condition the captive should be returned in, and why don't I leave her precious ears as a trophy. Those words have stricken precisely where I aimed, and Spectre has agreed on our terms to keep Celeste unharmed. The chief has asked Spectre to perform a certain work, in particular [Missing text]. In the end of this exchange, Spectre has pledged his loyalty to the chief, and I have promised to release Celeste the next cycle.

°°°°
Upon arriving to the Upperdark camp, I have witnessed just what I expected, and it displeased me. Celeste was lying at the ground in a puddle of her own blood, she was hardly breathing, and excited Tor'rak wasn't even hiding his vile intents. I needed Celeste alive, even more now after the deal with Spectre, and I reminded Tor'rak who is going to be responsible in case she dies. With annoyance, he applied the healing spells to her, but it seems she didn't even need it. Moreover, it turned out she enjoyed the pain Tor'rak has caused, her eyes were burning, she wanted more. Tor'rak and Khar have left, but before doing so, the chief has ordered to wash the captive, and I accepted the order.

°
I was watching the human washing herself in the pool with a cold vigilant gaze, making sure she won't try to escape. In the end, I have given her fresh clothes, expensive outfit I purchased at Sshamath bazaar. I reminded her of Khar's teachings, she seemed to accept our path, but I still wasn't very convinced in her words. Without any warning, I slapped her face, and she gave an excited grin in response, rubbing her bleeding lip. She was sincerely enjoying it, and I decided to entertain myself with that little game. I told her to be grateful for every slap I make, and she did so with passion, thanking me after each hit, after all the new bruises left at her face and all the fresh blots of blood spat out to the ground. She seemed to have big appetites for such activity, it was irritating at first, but soon I have found this game very addictive. Getting tired of hitting her over and over, I proposed her to make her own move and attempt to hit me, I removed my helmet without any concern. I knew I could easily evade all the attacks performed by that frail exhausted wizardress. That's what I thought back then at least. Instead, this was the moment everything went out of hand.

°°
She has caught me completely off-guard, giving me no opportunity to react. She didn't attempt to hit me with her hand as I expected. Just as I finished my words, she rushed towards my face with her jaw and gave a solid bite. I tried to evade it, but it was too late, her teeth were already deep inside my skin. I started hitting her face, and I was finally able to break the hold, but the expense of this was a good piece of the skin from my face stuck between her bloody teeth. I was completely lost by the situation, and the bitсh was only laughing in my face. I wasn't using my speed no longer, I was trying to attack her using the brute force I didn't have, and she was getting more and more initiative over me. After evading yet another hit, she dragged me down to the pool with her, and I failed to remain on my feet. The longer this nonsense lasted, the more enraged I was becoming. I forgot about everything, all I wanted to do is to wreck her idiotic filthy human face, but my anger was only making it worse for me. Another unlucky attempt to hit her, and she responds by smashing my face with her iron manacles. She could cause even more harm to me, I was all hers, but instead, she has made different decision.

°°°
She left the pool and nonchalantly went back to her cage. I rushed to her, trying to supress my anger, I pinned her to the pillar, I told her I'm not over with her, but she simply declared that she is tired and wants some sleep. She was very calm now, feeling the power over me at this moment. It is hard to explain what I was feeling at the moment. It was a deadly mix of rage, confusion and excitement, I was gazing in her eyes, and she was gazing back. Failing to control the emotions, I kissed her lips, passionately and with great greed. A couple seconds after I have broken the hold and made few steps back. I was breathing heavily, gaining control over myself again. Something has lashed me from inside at that moment, something made me stop and look at the things with sober sight. She went quiet as well, she looked surprised by my move, I commanded her to turn away, and she obeyed with no hesitation as I was tying her back to the pillar. I left her sleeping at the prisoner pen. She is but a human filth after all, and tomorrow she will have the test of her fate, the last trial.

°
I have recieved an interesting report. It seems there is a big group of surfacers gathered at Rockrun. I was simply curious about it, until the moment I have received a second report stating that they came there searching for the death knights. It was the moment I knew I must act. Those death knights could be responsible for the recent attack at the Upperdark camp, and I need my answers. Knowing the surface barbarians, this is likely that they would simply destroy the undead on sight. I tried to gather a group, but Lyth has refused to go saying she is "busy", and so me and Zar have set off to Rockrun.

°°
Stalking in the shadows, we were watching the surfacers' moves. There was a truly big gang, consisting of elves, humans, Val and an annoying ginger hin. They left Rockrun soon enough, and we followed. We knew that there is a chance they would attack us as savages they are, but we couldn't turn back now.

°°°
At the cliff passage outside Rockrun, they have encountered a group of duergars, and it seems it was the same group that told us about the death knights long time ago. It nearly ended up with a fight, but somehow the surfacers managed to avoid the bloodshed. I have encountered Muertos who approached the group. Before he did it, I told him to inflitrate the group and report later, and he agreed.

°°°°
The group was heading to Blackrock ruins, the place duergars mentioned, and on their way they have encountered another guest. It was Nawen. She greeted the surfacers, and they welcomed her with open arms, they seemed to be acquainted with her. What does it mean? Nawen has started mouthing Val off, calling her a whоre and accusing of working for me, and none of those elves said a word to a drow blatantly blaming their companion. I have finally revealed myself at that moment. Nawen was always spying on us, but now that Elistraen scum has finally exposed her true loyalties. Her deed shall not go unnoticed, and the right people would be warned.

°°°°°
Encountering something unusual and unfriendly, the primitive surface dwellers tend to have only two possible ways to react — they are either pretending it doesn't exist or they threaten and attack. This cycle wasn't an exception, and all the elves simply moved on, paying no attention to my words, while the little hin bastard trie to intimidate me and said she would gut me if I follow. I had a better plan though. I sent Zar to infiltrate the group and went back to Undrek Valanar for reinforcements.

°
Unfortunately, it was truly challenging to gather a strong raiding party this cycle, and alone I couldn't risk to attack the whole squad of experienced wizards and rangers. I was finally able to meet Aunrae, but blasted Lyth'raina was still missing somewhere. Wasting no more time, we traveled to Blackrock through the underground river.

°°
We have regrouped with Zar on our way and he has reported to me. It seems that the surfacers have met a tremendous squad of undead and were too scared to challenge it, and so now Blackrock ruins are hollow again. Nevertheless, I have decided to take a look. Upon arriving there, we have encountered that very place they talked, a ground surrounded by barricades. I was trying to find more traces, but seems there is nothing. Zar told me that the undead knights made it alive (if we can even apply such words to them), and it was good to hear. It means I still have someone able to provide me asnwers I seek.

°°°
At last, Lyth'raina has arrived. Using an ice reflection, she has transported us through the long miles close to the city of Sshamath. Soon enough we all ended up in the Spider Kiss bathes, just like in the old good times. Surprisingly, that time was very relaxing and even me and Lyth didn't spoil it with our endless quarrels. Unfortunately though, I had business at the Upperdark camp, and so I had to leave.

°
Celeste wasn't sleeping. She is still badly beaten and exhausted, but she looked calm, and no hostility was on her face. I handed her a contact medallion and told to contact her master she was telling me about, and the response has arrived sooner than I expected. Her master has agreed to purchase my claim. The original price was fifty bags, but I reduced it to thirty five by adding here a thirty percent discount due to human's ill condition. As I was untiying her hands, she has afforded few mocks about what happened yesterday, and I failed to hold my brief smile. It was a curious hummie to interract with, but that is not my concern no longer.

°°
We have agreed to meet at Boareskyr bridge, and soon enough I have arrived, holding Celeste on a leash. Celeste's master was called Celestia, a snow witch elf that Spectre reported me about, the one who was saved by Galawyn. As I expected, she didn't come there alone, a whole mob of strong adventurers accompanied her. I was alone there, but soon I noticed Val watching the scene from the hill. We have started the bargain.

°°°
Celestia has turned out to be a stubborn hag, and it has taken a really long time. She demanded to hand them a captive first, but that ridicolous offer was rejected by me right away. Getting tired of her mumble, I told her that the price is now five bags higher due to her worthless rant I'm sick of. She has finally agreed to the terms and has taken out thirty five bags, but it didn't satisfy me. Carried away by my greed, I demanded five bags more. It was getting more and more tense, Celestia boasted about her power, how did she defeat some drow necromant called Jys, or how she can turn the whole area around us into a snowy desert by a fingerclick. I didn't stop though. Celestia has announced her final word.

°°°°
"In the name of Corellon and the Seldarine and his daughter Eilistreaee you will fall here, Orc. Are you prepared to die today?" — she declared in the end. I gave her no response, spending those last seconds before the inevitable to appraise the situation one more time. A hooded woman in red was aiming to me with her bow, a huge man with even bigger sword, a simple brute, Celestia the ice witch and another blue-faced elf, perhaps a wizardress as well, and the last, but not least, an awesome looking dwarf who was a mystery to me. I could escape now, but I was confident that I can take them all down. As Celestia started weaving a powerful spell against me, I have rushed forth. Drifting right through ether itself, I have materialized right infront of her face, launching several deadly needles into her weak spots. She was completely suppressed by it, but her companions reacted immediately, and I caught several arrows with my shield. I faded into the shadows, and second after I made the final strike, knocking Celestia out of combat. That attack was reckless though, and despite defeating the main threat in this group, I have caught a sudden hit by the giant sword of human fighter. Trying to stand on my feet, I jumped through ether one more time just to attack the scarlet archer. This attack was devastating, one more needle and she falls for good, but it was the moment my lack of attention costed me much. The second elven wizardress has finally stepped into the game, she finished preparing a powerful spell and finally launched it to me. I have no idea what was it, but the combat was over for me.

°°°°°
Everything was blurry infront of my eyes. I heard strange noises, Celestia hysterically wheezing about my decapitation, a warrior switching his greatsword to an axe and raising it over my head, Val jumping onto the scene and trying to buy some time, Celeste approaching, leaning over me and whispering few power words...

°
I have finally opened my eyes. The whole body was aching, I could hardly move a limb. Instead of cursed sun over my head, I have seen a relaxing cave ceiling. Two figures were leaning over me - Val and Celeste. They were looking after me and tried to help. After I finally managed to get up, I asked Val what is going on. She confessed that it was Celeste who saved my life. In the last moment before my execution, she rushed forth and teleported me and Val away. I was confused by it. Why did she do it? I was the one who kidnapped her, who was the reason of all her suffering. Why? I asked her this question, but she failed to give me a precise answer. I have only to guess what was behind it, was it because of Khar's teachings, attachment, or even that strange scene by the pool? I'll never know. Celeste is going to have hard times now, the hummies and elves never forgive nor forget. The girl has chosen the right side, but in a wrong time. I promised to meet her again in the future, and she agreed. Stay safe, Celeste.

°°
We have arrived back to the hidden village with Val. As I mentioned before, she visits it way too often lately, but I was too tired to say anything against. This defeat was truly crushing. Greed and overconfidence, two qualities I tend to blame others for, have nearly costed me life, and my survival was a miracle. Eager to forget about this failiure, I shared Rashemi spirits with Val, and she passed out surprisingly quick, falling down to the ground from the log bench. Trying to avoid the awkward situation, I carried her to the hut where she spent a night. I would have to visit her again when she wakes up to make sure she leaves the village safely. Other orks have noticed my behaviour, but they'd have to deal with me if they dislike it.

°
Val has reported about a human roaming the Grimnail lands. That human, as she said, was worth my attention. I thought that this was another annoying adventurer, but instead I have seen a witch walking across the field with a mob of giant skeletons, she acted as if it was her intent to attract attention, and she recieved what she was looking for. She stopped at the cave, and we followed, blocking the way out.

°°[Missing text], another overconfident human who wishes to help the clan for her own reasons. A cunning one, she has to be watched. I agreed to arrange a meeting, but promised to kill her in case it would be waste of time.

°°°
They met at the oasis a cycle later, the chief was interested in her offer, and she pledged her loyalty to him. It wasn't even about her personally, she was simply another cog in chief's greater plan. I am not sure what exactly hides in chief's mind, but it seems he assembles a coalition of necromancers serving under his banner. It seems it already has two members, but there would be much more. Soon they will fill the human lands, causing a decay from within.

°
Me, Lyth, Aunrae, Val and Grishnak gathered to scout the mysterious Misty Forest. This were enchanted woods, just like Cloakwood, but even more bizarre. Just as we entered it, we were attacked by local hostile orkish tribes. Someday we'll have them knelt, but this cycle we simple destroyed those fools. This forest was nearly impassable, it all was covered in endless mazes of trees, bushes and cliffs. There is no surprise that we have finally got lost, finding ourselves in the swampy lowland covered in skulls and thick mist.

°°
We have met a guest. An armored masked figure has introduced herself as Banshee. After a brief discussion, she agreed to lead us out of the pit and even reveal us what were we looking for all this time. Uniting our forces, we have finally made it to the strange looking grove surrounded by colossal trees. Banshee has revealed us the crooked path, she said that the hidden village of En Darasha Everaeh lies ahead, but we can't walk no further.

°°°
A little later, Banshee revealed her face, and it turns out that this is none other than the infamous Jys I've heard so much about. Jys had her own plans for the surface, and she was interested in working with the clan, or at least using it for her own purposes. She openly blamed Grimnail for his cowardice and incompetence, and I responded with the facts, saying that there are reasons he's still in charge. I can not say I disagree with her completely, with Grimnail being more decisive, we could have claimed Ebon Blades keep and even Bridgefort already.

°°°°
Jys recognized Val, and they had a very long private conversation. That is no mystery for me that Val was once part of [Missing text], and Jys has complicated relations with that organisation. This all ended bloodless, and soon we have left the Misty Forest. Everyone was eager to assault it, to find the way to lay siege on En Dharasha Everae, but for me it makes no sense, not now. This must be done, of course, but not when there so much urgent work in the nearest future.

°
The next cycle, Lyth has invited me to some truly curious place, she said that Jys has a surprise for me. This place was forgotten Quellar Dev'lin. I remember how after authority change of l'Orb Glennen, when Nargazul has sold us all out to the loltites, Schezalle said that she is going to work towards claiming Dev'lin palace as the Spider Militant headquarters. I always knew those plans were nothing but another empty lie of hers, and indeed, they turned to dust when Jys has opened the main gates with her own key. The rightful heir has returned, but would she be able to preserve her right?

°°
I was greeted by Jys herself at the entrace. Without wasting much words, I have followed her. This place was truly impressive, if there is a citadel of pure evil in the world, then I have found it. We have stopped at the torture chamber, Lyth was there already and Nargazul as well, he was still trying to ignore my presence, but this is his loss in the first place that might cost him much. Jys has presented two captives of hers. The first was a tall warrior, he was looking like a human, but with weird dark face. Nargazul has taken this one, and soon enough they were already having their fun at the torture chamber. The second one though was more curious, and I have immediately recognized that little bastard.

°°°
He was one of the group that attacked me near Boareskyr Bridge few days ago. This was that awesome looking dwarf, and he was all mine now. That bastard was trying to use his magic and fool around, demanding to whip him and flexing his muscles. This was amusing and annoying at the same time, Lyth and Jys have lost their patience, and it costed him much. While Lyth simply damaged him with harm spell, Jys was more ruthless, turning dwarf's tongue into a holey bloody mess. He was hardly able to speak after it, and before this fool dies for good, I have agreed to take my present away, I thanked Jys for this arguable gift and departed, carrying the dwarf on a leash.

°°°°
We were joined by Aunrae, and Lyth was able to transport us all close to the surface. Despite being chained and having his tongue maimed, the dwarf was still trying to use spells to escape. Soon enough the bastard shall meet his final destination, and I'll make sure he shall speak. I have made a mistake on my way to the hidden village though. I led him through Soubar to boast about my beautiful claim, and he used a good moment to slip away from the chains. He immediately ran into Mag's establshment, and I couldn't chase him there. I can not challenge Mag, at least not yet.

°
I have met Grishnak roaming the field. He was all heavily wounded and scorched. I asked him were it wolves who have bitten him so hard, and he told me a story about some human shaman called Thunderbird who defeated him, and now Grishnak is looking for revenge. I said that I won't mind testing that shaman's strength. Grishnak said I'm weak for it, and I responded that since even he survived it, why can't I? Word for word, and I declared to Grishnak that I can defeat him. It wasn't a challenge though. I am aware that once I do it I'll have to take his role, and I have other plans. He wasn't taking these words seriously, but that is his huge mistake. Someday, Grishnak. Someday.

°°
Accompanied by Aunrae, I've met the chief and Tor'rak in a company of guest that truly surprised me. This was the hottest demeon with breasts I've ever seen, a red-skinned fury on heels with magnificent tail and horns. The most interesting detail about her was the fact that I knew her even before I joined the clan. Back then, I claimed that I'm going to chain her someday and she'll be my pet tiefling, she promised to scorch me alive, fun times. But this cycle, she seems to be Tor'rak's guest, that old bastard has claimed my demon himself! Nusashna, that demon girl, was amused by the situation, she came willingly and didn't even understand what did she get herself into. I made it as clear as possible that I'm going to gut her if she continues misbehaving. Tor'rak threatened Aunrae in response, but thankfully to the chief it didn't end badly. Have your "apprentice", Tor'rak. Lets see how long would she last.

°
Once we arrived to Uruk Lurra, we have met Grishnak again. He was still eager to find Thunderbird, and the chief has agreed to help him with it, and so did I. After inviting Lyth'raina, we have formed our little scouting group. The plan was as simply as it could be. Grishnak said that Thunderbird was spotted in the Reaching woods, and so we came here to give a sign to the chief once we locate him, and after it the main forces would arrive. The things changed though. Thunderbird wasn't there, but we have found something else.

°°
Three human females, young one with black skin, old one with white and a huge blonde brute guarding them both. They were commanded to move no further as we surrounded them. They tried to trade words at first, it soon became clear that they hardly stand any chances against us. I knew that they know about Thunderbird, and after some bickering, and old woman confessed that she's acquainted with him. I tossed her a contact medallion and ordered to summon him in case they want to survive. The blonde wench was only making it worse, she was hired to guard them, but instead she did her best to start a fight, and it costed us much effort not to cut her down.

°°°
The chief, Grishnak and Tor'rak have arrived at last, and we have encircled the women. An old one turned out to be acquainted both with Grishnak and Thunderbird, she has seen their fight and even helped Grishnak to tend his wounds back then, but it won't save her. She knew the shaman, she was the only one who could do the sending, but she kept hesitating. At last, they used their reckless opportunity and teleported themselves away. It wasn't a loss. They will deliever the message, Thunderbird shall come.

°
I have recognized that tall bastard just as I crossed Gloura's doorstep. He was one from the group that tried to attack me instead of paying ransom few cycles ago. His purpose was more than obvious — to save his beautiful dwarven lover, but he has come too late. I've told him to follow me to the less crowded place to "talk", and he followed without hesitation, Lyth'raina has joined us too to watch the show.

°°
He didn't hesitate stepping into arena, he knew what is going to happen next, but he wasn't afraid. On the other hand, his actions weren't filled with empty overconfidence. I have accepted his terms and we started the fist fight. Soon enough he was lying face down at the ground, just as expected. Where is your elven squad now, boy? I have told him to grab his giant sword and fight for real, but I hardly felt the difference as he wasn't able to land a hit before he fell again, this time unable to continue fighting.

°°°
I have chained him and looked into his eyes. I understand quite well that it's another "wrong place, wrong time" case, and he admitted that he didn't want to decapitate me, but still had to raise his axe above my head. Lyth'raina was watching it with amusement, and soon we have found out that several days ago he was captured with his dwarven friend and that black faced lad, but for some reason only two out of three were delievered to Dev'lin house, while the third remained roaming around Sshamath, desperately trying to find his friend and escape the Underdark. Meanwhile, Aunrae has arrived, angry as never before after her conversation with Nargazul. It seemed like she finally got an attractive human jaluk she was looking for for her entertainment, but it turned out that Lyth had different plans.

°°°°
Lyth'raina told Aunrae to imagine her sworn enemy, [Missing name], in place of this human and to unleash her wrath on it, and it wasn't really hard to submerge Aunrae into the frenzied trance. Lyth has covered the area in dakness, and it has begun. That human, Dazy as I call him, didn't understand what is going on, but the waves of hellfire were hurting him nevertheless, the chained, beaten man couldn't resist it, he was trying to joke and tease at first, but in the end he could do nothing but beg her to stop. Aunrae's power was quickly getting out of control, and Lyth has dispelled the darkness and started trying to stop Aunrae with force. It was getting more and more tense, and meanwhile we have had yet another guest.

°°°°°
Drys'inia, or simply Drys, a jalil I've seen only couple of times. She entered the arena and claimed that this man is her claim and I have to immediately unchain him. I obviously couldn't let him go on a demand of some girl coming in out of nowhere, but I also couldn't openly oppose a drow jalil here, even at Darkwoods. I've told Drys that Dazy is Aunrae's claim, and it could work, if not for Aunrae's poor condition. She was completely exhausted, she was sitting at the ground as Lyth was trying to help her, and they both didn't care about the human no longer. I needed Aunrae's response, and she didn't even hear it, while Drys was already trying to unchain the human, putting me in incredibly awkward situation.

°°°°°°
At last, Aunrae noticed my question. She simply told that she couldn't care less. "Thank you, jabbress" — I told her through my clenched teeth, unchaining the human. We were able to come to an agreement with Drys and she allowed me to ask several questions. Dazy sold his companion out without hesitation, and soon "Hester", the name of archer in red, was added to my list. Dazy didn't know the name of the second elf though, but that's a matter of time before I learn it. He seemed happy to follow Drys to take part in her "studies" as a test subject, and I have no idea what happened to them next. Lyth's games costed us all again, how long would it last?

°
The next cycle didn't go very productive, another discussion regarding our plan of [Missing text] left a sour tastes in my mouth, so I tried to wash it away with generous ammount of wine. I was drunk, Drys was fishing, and soon enough we were sharing the beverages. I held no grudge about yesterday's incident, and she had no issues as well, she turned out to be an sane one.

°°
Aunrae found us soon. Word for word, and my drunk tongue suggest them to go for a jaluk hunt to the surface, I promised Aurnae to catch her another human in place of Dazy. Drys didn't follow, and Aunrae did. She has taken many beverages with her, she was excited in advance about the hunt

°
Our searches started from the North. There are still lone fools trying to roam Grimnail lands without permission, and soon we have found one of them. A human was casually camping at the ruins in the middle of the endless field, and I recognized him. He was the one who spotted me when I was kidnapping Celeste. It seems that Aunrae would finally get her claim this cycle.

°°
Suddenly, a creature appeared out of nowhere. It was looking like imp, and in the past we already had demonic attack on the hidden village, but Aunrae stopped my hand and said that her master send it. She has summoned a huge burning demon called Koraboros, and the imp started demanding an offering for his master. It was confusing already, and then I remembered that I have a foolish adventurer nearby, but it was too late. That moron rushed to the imp and attempted to attack it. I didn't want to interrupt, but when he tried to attack Aunrae, I had to intervene. One toss, two needles, and the human lies at the ground, he breathes heavily and hopelessly tries to move a limb. Those demons (Devils? Whatever) were displeased by this act, and so they demanded to sacrifice a human right now. Meanwhile, we had couple more guests.

°°°
Lyth and Jak have arrived and found this scene, Mungoll has found us later as well. They were watching at first, but soon Lyth has started whispering into my ear telling me to stop this scene. I refused and said why don't she try it herself, and I think this was a mistake. She approached Aunrae and said that she won't let her sacrifice the human. She was convinced that this sacrifice is going to end badly, but she couldn't provide no good reasons since her understanding of the planes wasn't much broader than mine. Was she afraid for her abbil, or have her broad ego popped up again? Aunrae was in her sinister trance at the moment, and soon it has turned into a big mess. Aunrae told us that we better stop or we'll die, Lyth has stabbed her in the stomach as a response, Jak has tried to knock them both down, but was attacked by the imp who said that Lyth must be sacrifised, I was mouthing the imp off and threating to kill it... In the end, Lyth has teleported herself away with a human, but I chased her quickly and stopped, saying the the human is my claim made at Grimnail lands, I was prepared to fight her, but surprisingly, she agreed to deliever the human to the hidden village. I've told Mungoll to guide her and the human to the village, while I returned to Aunrae.

°°°°
Aunrae was slowly recovering from that mess, the imp was still there, and it was demanding the sacrifice. Understanding that my words would only make it all worse, I have closed my mouth, and soon the bargain was struck. [Missing name] shall be sacrificed. This means only one thing to me: Our plan can not be stopped now, we must go to the victorious end, or Aunrae perishes.

°
The human, Harik, has recovered and is now held in cage. He was still eager to fight, but there was no use. We were amused by his futile attempts to resist, he used a sending amulet to inform Doron Amar elves about his capture, and this was just what I wanted him to do. His has met his fate when the Grimspitter clan warriors approached to take a look at our new captive. He tossed an acid grenade to their direction, and it was the last thing he did in his wortless life. A huge grunt turned him into a bloody mess with enraged swings of his warmace, and I didn't bother myself to stop him. The boy has informed Doron Amar elves, and his use for the clan ends here.

°°
Grimspitter grunts promised to bring another captive in place of the one they killed, and that was a good compromise. I have left all Harik's remains at Mungoll's disposal, including his equipment, and he used it well. Even after his death, Harik holds his blade, but this blade serves the clan, as well as his reanimated corpse. Welcome to the new existence, Harik. You failed to make yourself useful in your lifespan, you do it in your afterlife.

°
Me and Val have met an interesting guest at Soubar this rainy night. Yet another hummie wench, she was looking like a northerner, yet spoken like a child. She told me she wants to stop the war, that she doesn't see why others call the orks evil. What a charming one. I told her I will of course discuss her glorious plans with her, as I was leading my new claim to the hidden village.

°°
On our way, we have met a suspicious elf patrolling the road with a dog. I told her to get lost, and she said she won't let us kidnap the human. I asked her how would she stop me, and as a response I recieved several deadly arrows right into my back. It came out of nowhere, I wasn't able to grab my shield, I intuitively shifted into the ether, but the wounds I recieved were fatal. A cloaked elven archer was the last thing I have seen before it all faded into the black.

°
I have painfully opened my eyes. I have heard that the world loses it's colors when you are coming back to life, but for me it's all the same. Everything is bleached with occasional shades of black and gray, my blessed eyes see it the same way. Grishka was leaning over me and tending the wounds. She was seemingly irritated by my fall, yet she tried to uphold some orkish etiquette once I stood up. The head was feeling as if it's about to explode into myriads little pieces. I realised what happened to me, and I was enraged.

°°
We were searching for hours around the field, but it was futile. Those prick-eared bastards have stolen my sacred shield with a symbol of Shargaas! They won't get away with it. The clan shall find those vermins and trample them into the earth. Those elves are much more dangerous than all before them we've ever met, but noone can stand before the wrath of Zar Ut Khan. The chief shall be informed as soon as possible. I thanked Grishka for saving my life, the gods have spoken through her ritual, letting us know that my purpose is not yet fullfilled.

°
We have urgently gathered at Swordarm Inn. I informed Lyth and Aunrae about this new threat, a well-trained squad of elven assasins hunting down our kinds. I know that wasn't a coincidence, they have come for my head. I've told Lyth and Aunrae to not visit the surface alone, they must always be prepared for the worst until we eiliminate that threat.

°°
Later that evening, I have occasionally stumbled upon a wounded woman lying at the field, and of course I recognized her. She was brought to the Swordarm Inn loft and healed. Yes, it was her, Celeste Milton, my lovely human necromancer. It was a long time since I have seen her. She didn't seem much surprised seeing me, her eyes were speaking more clear than her lips, and I have invited her to the room.

°°°
She was telling me about her well being, shamelessly taking a bath in my presence. As was expected, she was banished from Doron Amar for her practices, and now she hides behind different name and looks from her enraged kin. She said she has nowhere to go, she was asking me for help. The hidden village is not a refuge for humans, but I gave her a better advice, and from now she resides at [Missing text]. In the end, we failed to hold ourselves, and Celeste turned out to be truly furious and unstoppable at this. A curious one that human is.

°
The next morning, I have met a disguised tiefling at Roaringshore. She has survived that night, but it seems she is having troubles as well. This is an inevitable part of dealing with our kind, but Val knew what she is doing better than anyone else, and it's too late to turn back. She was curiously sliding her finger between the deep ugly arrow wounds at my chest, we both have gone through death now, and someday we both will perish for good, having noone to bring us back from Yurtrus' cold embraces.

°°
Returning to the world of the living didn't go painless, and I still feel that hollowness inside. I wanted to feel myself alive, I didn't pronounce it, but she was understanding everything. I needed pain, adrenaline, something that makes the blood boil. It was the best time for her to take her revenge for that fight at Nau'klar, but instead of a duel, we found another way to let all the steam out. I have finally seen a demon girl in action, and she was certainly much better at this than at combat. Much better.

°°°
As we were catching our breathes in the water, she told me more about those elven assasins. They call themselves Black Arrows, it seems they're self-proclaimed Doron Amar exiles who devote themselves into hunting down drow and orks. They don't have formal support from elven settlements, but neither do they have a base of operations. That information was valuable, and I shall deliever it to the clan once I leave the hot water. Honestly, I am glad to see Val alive and well.

°
Yet another secret meeting has occured, and the last details of the plan were discussed followed by a loud clink of our glasses. The time for change has come, and we are living through a calm before the gathering storm. The patient always wins in the end, and everyone is about to reap what they sown.

°
Nargazul and Baless fled, while Dugoloth has sold herself to Que'llar Zau'afin. In their absence, nothing could stop the inevitable change. The plan we were working on for such a long time has finally come into action. "We are not repairing the broken, we're creating something new from the ashes", as the chief taught us. Nargazul has betrayed us all, and the lolthite plague has spread far beyond any restoration inside l'Orb Glennen ranks, so the organisation was destroyed. It has taken one day for Nargazul to sell us out to the Lolthites and several exhausting, painful months of conspiracies and infighting to fix that bitter mistake. But now it's over, at last.

°°
This cycle, Aunrae has officially declared about creating Elgluth — an organisation that shall come in place of l'Orb Glennen, organisation that shall be what once glorious Spider Militant failed to become. She was walking this path from the beginning under my vigilant guidance, and now she gets what she deserved, at last. Aunrae is the leader of our newly formed group, and her flexible, open-minded approach suits us perfectly. As for taking more decisive actions, she always has me and Lyth at her side. Lyth'raina was supposed to become the leader as the strongest member, but she refused to take this role, and that was better for us all on a second thought.

°°°
Now, with the new organisation created and the mistakes of the past fixed, it was time to restore the old alliances. Elgluth delegation led by Aunrae has met the chief, she has stricken the new agreements between Elgluth and Zar Ut Khan. The history has made a circle, but everything has returned to it's roots in the end. Your order was executed, chief. Mission accomplished.

°
A woman who is now called Morgan, a favorite hummie of mine, has met me in the Underdark. I have seen it in her eyes, she was missing my company, but I have prepared a better surprise for her than another session of our entertainment. She was introduced to Aunrae, and she agreed to join us, becoming the first surface dweller in our ranks. Being an outcast of her own lands, she shares our fury and purpose here, she will be loyal.

°°
Later in Gloura's wings, our company has met Nym. He was always suspicious, but lately that necromancy school faern has lost any measure in poking his nose where he should not. He did not realise how much has Aunrae grown, he still treated her as his property, tried to control every move of hers, and it was time to stop it. We had a hostile exchange at the bar, who knows where it could've led if Lyth'raina didn't pull Nym with her upstairs to have a talk. Nym is becoming a huge problem.

°
In the end of this cycle, I have found myself relaxing in Morgan's company at the Spider Kiss bathes. Our activity was blatantly interrupted though. Nym has shamessly broken in, he was enraged, he was looking for Aunrae with his enraged, jealous eyes. This was getting completely out of hand, and I knew where he's going. I did a sending to Aunrae, and she responded that she's at the Ogre Caves now with Jak. I bade Morgan farewell and immediately moved.

°°
What I have seen at the Ogre Caves wasn't expected, I didn't know Nym could go that far. Aunrae was completely lost, wounded Jak was yelling "COWARD", cutting the air with his saber. It was obvious whose hideous work was that, and it was high time to finally catch that vermin. He was sneaking in the shadows, but noone can hide from the all-seeing eyes of the god. He tried to escape, but it was futile. He was knocked unconcious, unable to perform any actions.

°°°
I knew that Nym is coming to their direction, I didn't know he is coming to attack. He has gone against our jabbress, and he has paid for it. His fate is in her hands now, and I didn't interrupt, providing her the full freedom to act. We will have issues back in Sshamath if we get rid of him, but we'll have even more headache if he survives. Jabbress has said her word though. He was given the one last chance, but he wasn't left without a warning. Using her devastating hellfire, she has left deadly scorches at his torso, the marks impossible to erase. This would be a lesson for him, a lesson for everyone. This would happen to everyone who dares to act against Elgluth.

°
Jak has knelt before her, pledging his loyalty, and was accepted to Elgluth. Moreover, Aunrae has given him a special title of [Missing text]. Jak was shocked by recieving such a high rank out of nothing, but Aunrae's whim is a law here. That little favoritism is pretty harmless, let it exist as long as Nargazul's mistakes are not repeated.

°°
After that encounter at the Ogre Caves, there was much to tell Aunrae, a lesson for her. She must embrace the influence she has, she must understand how many powerful people are standing behind her back now. She is not a "heretic" no longer, she is our jabbress, and everyone who dares to act against her shall face our united wrath.

°
It has become deadly clear that leaving Nym alive was a huge mistake just as we crossed Gloura's doorsteps a day after the incident. Several 7th circle members were at the tavern, and they wer enraged. Nawen, Nym and Zyn were tossing open threats into Aunrae's face, but I was at her side to support jabbress. Nawiel was the only one of them who tried to be calm, and she proposed to resolve this conflict via the Augur court. We told her we'll consider it.

°°
Aunrae was about to do as Nawiel said, but I told her that we need to speak about it again before taking this decision. We're no match for 7th circle at the legal field, and it could make the things only worse. Another meeting with Zar and Lyth followed, it gave no results but exhaustement since it ended up with yet another quarrel between me and Lyth.

°
We all needed to relax, and so we forgot about everything in the vicious chaos of the Swordarm Inn room. In the middle of the night, I was awaken by heavy footsteps and chanting I heard at the coridor. I've quickly pulled on all the pieces of equipment I could find and met the guest.

°°
There can be no mistake here, this is not simply an armored hummie, this was a knight. He was armored and warded, he held a sword in his hand, and I was prepared to strike once he makes anything foolish. Surprisingly though, he treated me neutrally, and it was the first time in my life I was called a "sir". That scene was very strange. That holy warrior was not concerned about a hostile orc, about a half-indecent necromancer walking out of the room and tiredly rubbing her eyes, about a drow that was sleeping like a child in the same room, he only cared about the undead servants Morgan summoned to secure the coridor. That man surprised me, and I was too tired to fight after all, and so we talked.

°°°
In the end, I agreed to get rid of the undead and even helped him with it so he shall get out of here faster. He consecrated the ground, making Morgan significantly uncomfortable. He introduced himself as Harkon, I told him that it would be unfortunate if we meet at the North someday, and he agreed, he was understanding everything. This cycle though, he bade his farewell and peacefully departed. Me and Morgan got back to the room and joined [Missing text]. It would be a long night ahead, and I have a very bad feeling about the next cycle.

°
I was unable to find Aunrae anywhere the next cycle, she disappeared with no trace and even the sendings couldn't reach her. I suspected that she was kidnapped, and it was true. I've met Nawen on the street, and she wasn't even hiding it, saying that Aunrae would be freed only when her mistress, Zar'Vyrae, decides so. She was enjoying this situation, she hated me and was happy to see my anger. I warned her not to escalate the things, but she didn't even think to stop.

°°
I was walking towards the Darkwoods with Morgan, and Nawen followed our steps, lurking in the shadows. She revealed herself for a moment and pretended she walks away after my question, but I knew she won't give up. I pretended I don't see her and we made our way to Nau'klar dungeons.

°°°
Yes, she was here, following every step of ours. She was very good at hiding, but she has forgotten who is she dealing with. At the arena, I suddenly turned to her hidden self and demanded her to stop. She didn't want to leave, enjoying her superious hiding skills. I was hardly able to see her silhouette, but she can't hide her scent. I followed her moves, she was toying with us, and at last, she lost her patience and attempted to attack me. It was a deadly mistake.

°°°°
It was a long fight, her attempts to hit me were mostly futile, while my strikes were more than precise. She tried to maneur after I wounded her, she could escape, but she decided to stay and attempt to stab me one more time with her little knives. In the end, she was completely exhausted, trying to catch her breath in the corner. She drank a powerful potion to conceal herself, but noone can hide from the eyes of the god. An acid bomb flying into her face was the last thing she has seen before crumbling to the ground. Game over, Nawen.

°
Nawen was caged right here, at the Nau'klar dungeon, and I summoned Lyth to discuss our further actions. She has arrived immediately, and her first reaction was panically yelling at me and demanding to set Nawen free. Zar was accompanying her, and seeing him in her company put a mix of anxiety and confusion at Nawen's face, she was shocked seeing her old friend in a company of her foes. As for Lyth, even after learning that Nawen was the one who stalked and attacked me she still demanded me to open the cage, she said everything is under control and she has a better plan, and capturing Nawen would only make the things worse. I was frustrated, but agreed in the end. Nawen was warned that I won't be that merciful the next time I catch her spying, and I do hope she understood it well. She had a long private talk with Lyth, and in the end she declared that everything is settled. This scene doesn't leave these walls, but the lessons are learned.

°°
Later on, we had a long talk with Lyth. Aunrae was kidnapped, Nym claimed she holds her at Necromancy school and Nawen says she's at the 7th circle building. How did that worm manage to kidnap her within the patrolled area? There is nothing we could do directly at the moment, I was considering different options of setting jabbress free, but Lyth acted like a complete bitch she is. As I expected, she didn't have any plan. Destroying my plans while offering nothing but idleness instead, it was so typical of her, she never changes. Moreover she even declared that Aunrae deserves it, she was so confident that jabbress would make it alive, or perhaps she simply didn't care. I made it clear that if something happens to Aurnae, it would be Lyth's fault. Her disrespect is getting out of hand, and I'm completely fed with it. I will do things as I see fit without her involvement. I told Morgan to deliever a letter to [Missing text], it's high time to get things done.

°
Nym's cruelty combined with Aunrae's incompetence resulted in the complete chaos, everything is getting out of hand. I spoke with Nyschari, Aunrae's sister, before, and she has arrived, bringing valuable information. We couldn't return to Sshamath at the moment, and so our secret meeting was held at Rockrun.

°°
They see me as a threat, at last. They have opened their eyes after those long months of blind arrogance, they've seen the real figure behind many changes they see. It seems that [Missing text] has sent assasins after me, how curious. I have even learned their names, and it didn't impress me, they truly need someone more competent to even have a chance to defeat the master of shadows, the one who is prepared now. Let them come, let them die.

°
This day has finally come. Zar'Vyrae has spoken to Aunrae from what I learned, and she was released, at last. What I have seen though made me enraged. Aunrae was broken, shattered, she was hardly speaking. What have they done to you, jabbress? I had a strange mix of feelings inside of me, I hated everyone, I hated Aunrae for her weakness and stupidity, and at the same time I was happy to see her alive. "You hoard over her like a daughter. It is not unseen, Shadow orc... Even by a blinded orc." — Tor'rak the haruspex once told me, and perhaps he was somehow right, but it doesn't matter now. The damage done to Aunrae shall not go unanswered, those responsible for it shall pay, be it Nym or Zar'Vyrae herself.

°°
As expected, Aunrae wasn't returned in the same condition. She had a weird device implanted into her chest, and it's purpose was more than clear. We had to remove it as soon as we could, Aunrae tried to protest mumbling something about Necromancy school favor, but me and Lyth were both fed with this bullshit, and our decision is final. They were stalking the streets of Sshamath, they could come at any moment, so we had to perform the operation quick. Lyth has locked herself with Aurnae at her Darkwoods house, while I was standing on watch, prepared to murder anyone who approaches.

°°°
Lyth has performed some truly horrific ritual, using the spell I've never seen. It was a pure luck Aunrae has survived, but I always knew she is strong at her core. Meanwhile, Morgan has reported that our enemies are gathering patrols to stop us if we decide to leave the city. Despite the power put into the ritual, Lyth didn't know what she was doing as usual, and so it didn't help, the device was still inside of Aunrae.

°°°°
The next cycle we have decided more subtle approach. It seems that the device was planted using the undead graft, and so only the undead graft could take it back, and this is where Morgan's skills came to use, I didn't expect her to posses such a power. Aunrae was cured, but this didn't bring me any joy. I was aware of the humiliating treaties she signed with Zar'Vyrae, but she didn't make any attempts to persuade me, simply mumbling some nonsense. I was enraged, I left the house.

°°°°°
I was speaking with Lyth later this cycle at her stall at bazaar, I was very concerned about Aunrae's weakness. All the months of guidance, all the trials we've gone through, and what for? How is her pledging the loyalty to Zar'Vyrae different from what Nargazul has done? Lyth says it's better for us this way, she was almostly able to convince me, but Aunrae's actions have displeased me greatly, I have lost faith in her, at least for now. There was a meeting appointed with her, but I asked Lyth to attend it instead, simply because I didn't want to come. I need to calm down and think about the recent events.

°
There was a thing I didn't document. A golem of tremendous power was roaming the North, I tried to challenge it, but in a long and exhausting fight it was able to defeat me while the damage I've done to it wasn't any significant. The chief has gathered us when Grishnak was foolishly taken down by that golem and kidnapped by suspicious humans laters, the humans somehow related to the golem. The chief has given the orders - the golem must be destroyed. Our preparations have begun.

°°
Several days have passed since that moment, and soon enough I had an encounter I didn't expect, at least not so soon. Dar'gul has returned, it seems he has come to an agreement with the chief after his crime, and now he's back in our ranks. He was brazen enough to demand a captive from me in place of the drow in red executed by Grimnail's order, and I made it clear I owe him nothing, yet there was nothing wrong in little manhunt, and so we combined our efforts, forming an unstoppable force.

°°°
We didn't even have to travel far to find our prey. As always, the North was full of idiots this cycle, naive beings who are still not aware that the North and Soubar belong to Grimnail. We have met three of them — a dwarf, a human, and a strange blue-skinned wizard, they all were powerful, but their power pales in comparison with mine and Dar'gul's. Greshalk was acting as a bait here, they tried to attack him, and this is where they faced their defeat, unable to leave a scratch. Dar'gul has claimed the dwarf and the wizard, while the human was left rotting at the field. Perhaps he will be eaten by the wolves, but in case he survives, he has a good message to deliever. Welcome to the North.

°°°°
We have met a woman at the hidden village, she was attacked by that dwarf before, and so Dar'gul has given her that mouthy idiot as a present. His attention was attracted to the wizard, and I was listening to their bargain. It seems Dar'gul had his own vision of the chief's plan, and so he was trying to learn more about the golems and their weak spots. In the end, the blue-faced wizard confessed about the soulstones used to control the golems, and all we need to do now is to get one, and the wizard obviously told that his dwarven friend can get us one. That dwarf was too loud until the moment Dar'gul scorched his face with acid, he said he was a slayer from Kraak Helzak, but failed to make a good offer for his release.

°°°°°
In the end, they both were given order to get the soulstone in a week, they were released, but warned. Dar'gul said that the Eye of the Ruin watches them, and I knew these are not the empty threats. Would they disobey him, and they will be destroyed as it happened to his foes before. The battle is nigh, and the soon enough that golem's broken shell will decorate the hidden village.

°
I've spotted an interesting scene at the tradeway. The young warriors of the clan were talking to a strange tiefling surrounded by a mob of mechanical creatures. She turned out to be a golem crafter, but not the one responsible for the golem the clan is looking for. I had to bribe the greedy goat-gurl with a grease wand to get more information on the matter. Grishnak shall be released, every outstanding warrior matters in these dark times.

°
It was a turning point for Morgan, the moment she was preparing for for such a long time. Her previous master, snow witch Celestia, appointed a meeting at the bridge. Much time has passed since their last meeting, Morgan has changed dramatically, and this was the time to cut the ties with the previous life for good.

°°
I was watching from the shadows, while Lyth was patrolling the area. I didn't hear what were they talking about, but it seems that Celestia has lost her patience and tried to attack Morgan, and it was her deadly mistake. She was quickly taken down and brought to the hidden village.

°°°
For a frost witch, she had quite a hot temper. She was trying her best to escape from the magical manacles, to starts a snowstorm or teleport herself away, she tried to threaten us, saying that the orcs would be destroyed, but in the end she started begging Morgan to change her mind, to turn her back on us and return, to become Celeste Milton once again, that blonde naive promising wizard pupil. Morgan has made her choice though. You've lost it, Celestia. The elf was chained at the magma caves, the place where she can't benefit from her ice magic. The elves would react to her absence, if not — one prick-eared bastard less in this world.

°
It's been a long time since I've seen Val. I was planning to introduce her to Elgluth, but Aunrae's abduction has ruined these plans. I've met her at the Northern tradeway, and what I've seen displeased me. She had manacles on her wrists, and before she told me who did it, I already had an answer in my head. Dar'gul arrogance is getting out of hand, and it was time to remind him of his place.

°°
He was waiting for me near the gates to the hidden village, he knew I shall come. I demanded him to explain himself. He was acting way too brazenly even for Dar'gul, he said he won't tolerate my guests at the hidden village, he was demanding my blood. This was clear as day, he was looking for excuses to attack me, and I had no choice but to bring it up to the chief, Dar'gul agreed.

°°°
Dar'gul was falsly accusing me of slandering him, he was enraged for some unknown reason. My words said to the chief made much more sense than his. I respected Dar'gul for his power and crooked mastermind, losing him would be a great loss for a clan, but losing me would be even bigger fault. The warlock though was unstoppable in his madness, and the chief said his final word. We will fight, until the first blood. So be it.

°
I can not blame Val for what is happening. If not for her, Dar'gul would have found another reason to attack me. He was waiting for it for a very long time, since his first attempt to start a fight, the first thing documented at the pages of this ledger. Unlike that time, I can not ignore his challenge now. I am blessed with shadow powers granted by Shargaas, but I am not a warrior, and I realise that I stand little chances against the powerful spellcaster like Dar'gul. Yet there are no ways back left.

°°
Just as the chief pronounced his final word, Dar'gul has immediately attempted to blast me with a devastating ray of acid. He magic was unable to reach the master of shadows, but the same was true for me — my needles couldn't hit his blurred silhouette. After some time of this futile crossfire, Dar'gul was unpacked his bag of scrolls, shooting the devastating ninth circle spells at me as they were arrows in his quiver. After wasting about a dozen of scrolls, he was finally able to catch me in a giant hand grip, and it was over for me.

°°°
He didn't listen to the chief though, he has lost his mind completely. I wasn't feeling anything at the moment, the last thing I've heard is Dar'gul's lunatic rant about how the clan has lost the ways of Uruk, I've heard the chief banishing him from our lands. My body was heavily scorched with magical acid, but I'll make it alive. This is the defeat some may call a victory, but not me. The clan has lost it's most powerful spellcaster. Grishnak first, then Dar'gul. Zar Ut Khan power slowly fades, and I must prevent further diminishment.

°
Val was sitting at my lap and tending my wounds at Mag's Inn room. This body has nearly no space from all the maims and scorches, I was hardly able to move a limb this cycle, but we have no time to waste. I've heard rumors about an awoken Mielikki altar, and this was important for the clan, and so I ordered Val to accompany me on my scout mission.

°°
Upon arriving there, something has purged the invisibility ward Val has used on us. I thought this was the power of the shrine at first, but then an elven archer revelead himself, his single eye was burning with hatred. Black Arrows on guard, I see it. I commanded Val to flee while I'll try to hold this one. The fight has soon begun.

°°°
This archer was incredibly strong, and it was the second time a day someone spammed the highest circle magical scrolls like throwing darts. I had to retreat, but he followed, this chase was continuing until the moment everything faded into the black. I'm leaving this last note here and hiding this ledger behind the stone. Nobody must find it, even if it's the last day of mine.